CityWay Arch
2019
Concept Proposal
Both contemporary and ancient: an Arch fulfilling the historic desire for a ceremonial gateway but derived from today's standard construction units. This temporary sculpture takes the form of ancient ceremonial sites to create a new contemporary gateway within Indianapolis. "Arch" is a reference to Roman triumphal arches, specifically the Arch of Palmyra. The Palmyra arch was destroyed in 2015 and, similar to this temporary work, has since been replicated using contemporary methods for display in cities around the globe.
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Despite their aged appearance, the barriers are not reused concrete: this arch will be made by molding and casting real barriers into fiberglass and resin forms with an internal stainless steel structure. They will be finished in trompe l'oeil paint, mimicking the real appearance of the barriers. In an additional twist, “arch” used as an adjective means mischievous, knowing, playful: all aspects of the transformed barriers in this provocative structure.
The post and lintel structure has been a fundamental principle of building architecture since Neolithic times. Reimagined in contemporary construction imagery, "Arch" is a symbol for Buckingham as a developer and timely to this moment of evolution in downtown construction and the urban built environment. The graphics of the construction industry permeate our visual environment and are cultural and social markers: city life is a physical collage of signs of progress, change, and vitality. "Arch" flips the visuals of standard construction into art and engagement on the street.
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